Home Front Command Launches New Trilingual Web Site

The IDF Home Front Command has launched a new website instructing Israelis on how to behave during rocket, missile and non-conventional attacks.

By Ezra HaLevi

First Publish: 9/24/2007, 1:42 PM

The IDF Home Front Command has launched a new website instructing Israelis on how to behave during Kassam rocket, missile, chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.

The new site, which is available in Hebrew, English and Arabic, also covers earthquakes, floods and hazardous or nuclear industrial accidents. An emergency page is designated for use during a state of emergency to inform the public of any developments.

The cleanly-designed site is designed to educate the public in advance of such disasters, encouraging parents to talk to their children about the threats. It features interactive graphics such as an aerial view of a home, with the question, “Which is the most protected room in your opinion?”

The site goes into detail about the threats facing the Jewish State, listing five types of rockets - three of them Iranian - in the missile-attack section. “On the eve of the Gulf War, missiles and rockets became a real and present threat,” the site says. “Many countries had to cope with the fact that the war had moved from the front lines to the hinterland because of the launchings of long-range missiles…The directions for the population included in this part of the website do not apply to unconventional missiles. In the event of risk of unconventional missile fire, the Home Front Command will publicize a refresher message regarding protective measures and early preparations (sealing room, receiving protection kits, etc.)”

There is also a detailed rundown of possible chemical and biological agents possessed by Israel’s enemies and instructions on protection and treatment.

The site lists emergency supplies that every Israeli family should have. These include a flashlight, fire extinguisher, battery-powered radio, liter of bottled water per person, emergency medications, a whistle, three-day supply of canned or dried food, matches, candles and a first-aid kit.

“Dangers and emergencies are liable to strike us with no prior warning,” the section on planning for emergencies says. “Human response at such times is automatic, almost instinctive, and is affected to a great extent by thinking, knowledge and prior experience. There is no point in trying to look for new answers to a concrete danger while it’s threatening you. It is well-known that people who have planned on how to cope with emergencies and know what to do, have been able to act correctly, thereby saving themselves, their family members, and those in their surroundings.”